Gladiator ScriptReview

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By Joshua Griffin

WHAT'S IT ABOUT?It's an ambitious project from the start. Calling it the 'Titanic of 2000' is no exaggeration. The script screams big budget and in the recent history of Hollywood, an epic undertaking like this would have never been attempted.

But times have changed. Now in the year 2000, we can get an idea of life in 180 A.D.

At the hands of capable director Ridley Scott (Alien, Hannibal, 1492, Blade Runner) and writer David Franzoni (Amistad), we're in for a treat if the movie captures half of the spirit and intensity of the written word. Surround these talents with actors like the Oscar nominated Russell Crowe (L.A. Confidential, The Insider) as star general gladiator Maximus, Joaquin Phoenix (To Die For, 8MM) as the evil Emperor Commodus, and Richard Harris, veteran actor and also a Oscar Nominee for " This Sporting Life" and "The Field" as Marcus Aurelius. The cast rounds off with Djimon Hounsou, Tomas Arana, Spencer Treat Clark, Derek Jacobi, Connie Nielsen, and Oliver Reed as well. So how can the film go wrong?

The First Draft Revised, April 1998 basic plotline is complicated, yet the history doesn't get in the way of the plotline. Basically, this is the depiction of life after Marcus Aurelius' reign, a look at Rome in it's glory days of the Coliseum. The ancient tapestry is brought to life with sure realism and beauty, that the viewer is swept into the movie without distraction. The general turned slave turned gladiator whose sole mission in life is to love his family and his country. And that is where the journey begins.

We meet Maximus in all of his glory, as a general in the army, defending Marcus' Rome and expanding the territory of the Empire against the Germans. Through a sequence of events, he makes Marcus's twisted son Commodus mad and ends up destined for the blood soaked sand inside the Coliseum. Commodus own fears of betrayal and insurrection turn him into a raving lunatic, doing virtually anything to gain the approval of the sex-crazed and blood thirsty Romans. So, the hero of the wars becomes the hero of the games, again becoming a threat to the corrupt Commodus.

The reaction to screenings so far has been extremely positive and the studio has been very anxious to spread positive word of mouth about the film. They've screened it multiple times in Australia and the United States and the online buzz has been uncharacteristically very strong. But there's good reason.

THE GOOD:Having been to Italy myself and, while standing in the middle of Circus Maximus and the Coliseum, I've often times imagined the roar of the crowd as gladiators dueled or people were chased around the arena by hungry lions. The script accurately details what happened in that facility, but some of the brutality some may find sickening. There is no doubting the total depravity of man while seeing images of gladiators tied to the bodies of dead people while trying to fight of oncoming opponents. Narcissus fights all variation of opponent in his quest for survival, to save his family and the true Rome he fought for so passionately once before. There are no holds barred and the scenes are extremely graphic in nature, so be prepared for the reality of the "games" Rome used to play.

The script has many footnotes which lend credibility to it as well. The accuracy of history from ancient times mixed with the story is astounding in detail. Little details like the Ferrari of their day in the fast light chariots, to the newspapers like the Daily Acts from 59 B.C. recording the daily events in the Italian capital link the historical adventure to more present day counterparts. The people's affinity for gambling is also prevalent in the script, one of the weaknesses of the past and the present. It's not hard to see the evolution of the society in the many links to today.

After winning a few lopsided battles against some over zealous opponents, sponsors begin to line up to recruit the fame of the talent for promotion of their products, not unlike a sports star now promoting shoes they don't wear or products they never use. In this case, the general-gladiator's fame spreads throughout all of the land because of his namesake being attached to a certain olive oil, which further enrages the maniacal son of the good Emperor that died.

There's much to be said in the positive side for this film. Despite us getting just the first draft of the script, it's easy to see this film is going to be huge. The combination of a well written script, strong talent behind and in front of the camera and a nearly limitless budget have the potential to make the current day ruins of ancient Rome come alive with a fervor not seen in history.

THE BAD:

There is no doubt the Romans were a sick bunch of people. They were bloodthirsty and the sport of the day was watching literally hundreds of people butchered in glee. This was all being done while the rest of the country was in shambles and the society was in ruin. The script does place an emphasis on the sexual nature of this crazed society, with a major sidebar of the screenplay focusing on prostitution. Several scenes indicated nudity completely unnecessary to advance the plot of the film. There's one scene where Commodus even rapes his sister Lucilla. While some would say that it is necessary to show the true sickness of the people and their ruler, I really feel this hampers the movie and takes away from what should be the truest mission of the film.

Yes, these things about the Romans are true. They like their bloodsport and their women. They came by the thousands (the Coliseum held over 55,000 people at once) to see the butchery and partake in the wickedness of the deranged society. While the movie is under obligation to identify the horrific nature of the Romans, in some parts of the script it's unclear what exactly the writers are trying to accomplish. It's almost as if they haven't decided if they want the story to shine, or the violence and sex to be the star of the movie. The emphasis of the film must not be to promote the society, but to promote the man who was fighting to save it from what it had become.

Narcissus was fighting for himself and his family, yes, but in the bigger picture he was fighting for the way Rome once was. The society had accepted the concept of self-pleasure and an attitude of anything goes, what's right to you is right, and absence of morals and absolutes. Not unlike what some people fight for these days as well, looking to the past as a guide to the present, instead of adapting the present to serve only ourselves. It'll be interesting to get the feel of the movie on the big screen, as sometimes paper conveys so little emotion.

In another direction, the ending is terrible, and I hope the ending was fixed in future versions of the script for the movie. The abrupt ending was almost an after thought and seemed to be a temporary fix. Again, perhaps it will work in the theater, but I was completely unsatisfied with the pacing of the resolution in this draft.

So the bottom line? Gladiator is going to be huge. The cast and crew, an accurate and entertaining historical script and the finances to make the most famous sports arena in the world come alive will certainly be a box office success. Again, the word of warning, the 'R' rating is well deserved, since there is content that is off limits to many people and will certainly contain several scenes people will find offensive. Language is moderate at worst, and this film, while having the potential to be visually amazing, hopefully got a once over for direction before striking prints.

THE UGLY:Oh man, the some of the sequences in the Coliseum and the battles are not for the weak stomached. Wow, it's gonna get ugly in here.